Chris Paul Very Confident the Clippers Will Sign JR Smith

Chris Paul confirmed that he’s been leading the recruitment of JR Smith, and as the mercurial swingman prepares to return to the USA, CP3 says the chances of the two re-uniting in LA are “very high” (with Smith seeming to indicate on Twitterthat this is, indeed, the case.) From ESPN: “The New York Knicks are the presumptive favorites to sign free-agent swingman J.R. Smith when he returns from China later this week, but Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul likes his team’s chances of convincing Smith to take less money to sign with it. ‘I think our chances are very high,’ Paul said Monday night after the Clippers’ 96-92 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Smith recently announced via his Twitter feed that he expects to be back in the States by Wednesday. Although the Knicks can offer a prorated share of the $2.5 million mini-midlevel exception for the rest of the season, whereas L.A. can’t pay more than the veteran minimum, Paul believes the presence of three of Smith’s former teammates on the Clippers’ roster and the minutes and shots opened up by the season-ending Achilles injury suffered by Chauncey Billups will be strong lures. ‘Who knows J.R. better than me?’ Paul said of Smith, his teammate for two seasons with the Hornets. Referring to Kenyon Martin and Billups, both of whom played with Smith in Denver, Paul attributes his optimism to ‘my relationship with J.R., Kenyon’s relationship with him and Chauncey’s relationship with him. Also he knows he’ll have the opportunity to play here,’ Paul said. ‘He can only make us better.'”